Unlike other content areas in this document, the incidence and burden of musculoskeletal tumors relies on the extensive cancer reports available from national cancer databases. ICD-9-CM codes for tumors are presented, but the national databases used in other sections were not analyzed for tumors.
Cancers of the musculoskeletal system affect both children and adults, but virtually all tumors have different age-based frequency. Myeloma, the cancer of the bone marrow, affects older persons more, while other bone and joint tumors are more prevalent in children and young adults. Soft tissue sarcomas affect all ages, but most are more common as persons reach middle age and later years. See individual cancer discussions for further information. In general, the older the patient, the poorer the prognosis and survival.
